• In an effort to “send a message of inclusion to its widely diverse fan base,” the NBA champion Toronto Raptors said they are the first NBA to offer an athletic hijab for Muslim women. The Nike Pro Hijabs with the team’s logo were inspired by the Hijabi Ballers, a Toronto-based non-profit organization dedicated to "celebrating and increasing the involvement of Muslim females in sports." “Inspired by those brave enough to change the game” the team posted to its social media platforms along with a video of the Hijabi Ballers in action.

• Greenleaf Foods said it has signed a deal with the Los Angeles Rams to become the first plant-based food brand to officially partner with an NFL team. As part of this partnership, Greenleaf’s Lightlife Burger will be available at Rams home games this season, beginning Sep. 15 during the team’s 2019 home opener ( agasint tthe New Orleans Saints). Lightlife plant-based protein products will also be featured in the Rams Game On! Program at Albertson’s, Vons, and Pavilions.

• The NFL and Facebook have signed a multi-year partnership extension that will “deliver more diversified NFL video content to fans worldwide through Facebook Watch,” expanding a relationship that began in 2017

The NFL will continue distributing recaps from all 256 regular season games, as well as playoff games and the Super Bowl; plus video highlights from such postseason tentpole events las the Pro Bowl, NFL Scouting Combine and NFL Draft. The NFL will also utilize Facebook Watch for distribution of an array of unique content including NFL news and analysis, Video versions of NFL-produced podcasts and classic and special NFL 100 content.

In addition, the NFL will create Facebook Groups around content themes and work to share relevant video in those groups.

• American Airlines will not renew its naming rights deal with the venue that is home to the NBA’s Miami Heat, which has been AmericanAirlines Arena since it opened in 1999 via a 20-year deal valued at $42 million, according to Miami Today. The team and Miami-Dade County executives are in “advanced talks”with another national company. American will remain the official airline for the Heat.

• Bowlero Corp,, the leading owner and operator of bowling centers in America, has acquired the Professional Bowlers Assn. which has been in operation since 1958. Bowlero said, “All scheduled tournaments and programming will continue, with plans to build upon key initiatives including the PBA's groundbreaking Fox Sports partnership.” Full story here.

• Marshawn Lynch has been named as the founded for the expansion Oakland Panthers of the Indoor Football League, with the team beginning play in February 2020 in Oakland (formerly Oracle) Arena. The NFL Raiders are moving from Oakland to Las Vegas beginning with the 2020 season. Full story here.

• The Paley Center for Media, NY, will honor the 100th season of the NFL with a new exhibit: "A Century of Football: Celebrating the NFL’s 100th Season," free and open to the public (Sept. 14-Oct. 27), which includes the first public screening of the only known complete broadcast of Super Bowl I (then known as the AFL-NFL World Championship Game) in January 1967 between the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs

• Pete Frates and Pat Quinn, co-founders of ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, have launched with The ALS Assn. the 5th anniversary of “Challenge Me” with a “new call to action to reignite the passion and generosity of the millions of people who dumped ice water on their heads in the summer of 2014.”

December 11, 2018: The NBA continues to build its roster of legal sports-betting partners, signing a multi-year pact naming The Stars Group, a global leader in the online and mobile gaming and interactive entertainment industries, as an authorized gaming operator of the NBA in the U.S.

As part of the deal, The Stars Group, will have rights to use official NBA betting data and league marks across The Stars Group’s digital sports betting offerings.

The Stars Group said this would be its first alliance with a pro sports league in the U.S.

“The Stars Group is an accomplished global online gaming leader and we are excited to work with them on their first U.S. sports league partnership,” Scott Kaufman-Ross, head of fantasy and gaming for the NBA, said via the league.

“This dynamic partnership will be another way to create authentic fan engagement with league logos and official NBA betting data, while leveraging Stars’ global expertise to further optimize the fan experience.”

The NBA recently signed a deal with MGM Resorts International as its official gaming partner and last month signed Sportradar and Genius Sports as non-exclusive rights partners to distribute official NBA betting data to licensed sports betting operators in the U.S.

The Supreme Court in May overturned the national law preventing legal betting on sports in individual states, with each state now deciding whether or not to allow the platform.

States that currently allow legal sports betting are Delaware, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. Others have bills waiting to be passed or rejected.

According to the American Gaming Assn., annual revenue for the NBA could increase by nearly $600 million due to legal sports betting, including $160 million from spending by betting operators and data providers and $78 million from sponsorship revenue.

The Stars Group said its vision is to “become the world’s favorite iGaming destination and its mission is to provide its customers with winning moments.” It said its brands have millions of registered customers globally.

The Stars Group is currently operating in New Jersey with its BetStars brand, with plans to expand its business nationwide as additional states legalize online sports betting.

Over the past year, The Stars Group expanded its global business with the purchase of UK-based Sky Betting & Gaming and Australia-based BetEasy.

“We are excited to partner with the NBA as we continue to execute on our U.S. strategy,” Matt Primeaux, svp-strategy and operations, USA for The Stars Group, said via the company. “This agreement enables us to use official NBA data and league marks, providing a better experience to our customers, while working with the NBA to protect the integrity of games.”